Cal swung and missed in San Diego, dropping three out of five while getting shut out and walked-off. Amid the eight errors by Cal defenders and cold bats by its offense over the weekend, Sona Halajian proved to be a bright spot, going eight for 15 with four RBIs.
The Bears headed to the San Diego Classic for a five-game series that started Friday with a doubleheader against Boston University and San Diego State. BU had a 5-8 record going into the evening matchup, and SDSU sat at 11-5.
The Bears handed the Terriers their ninth loss of the season with an all-around sensational performance by Halajian, who threw a complete game shutout and hit the go-ahead home run in the bottom of the sixth that sparked a four-run inning and secured the victory for Cal.
Halajian came out swinging in the second game as well, giving the Bears an early lead with a two-run homer in the top of the first inning. However, SDSU’s pitcher Maggie Balint locked in after the first and shut down Cal’s offense. Her six straight scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts gave her team time to come back and finish with a 6-2 win.
After splitting the games for Day One, Cal proceeded to lose the next two against BYU and USD. Brigham Young’s Autumn Moffat-Korth threw a complete game shutout of her own, holding the Bears to only four hits in seven total innings. The heart of the order for the Cougars produced in the clutch and was responsible for all five runs in the 5-0 conquest over Cal.
In the game against the Toreros, clutch hitting set up by errors seemed to be the theme throughout the chaotic Saturday night event. USD scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning after two errors by Cal’s defense.
The Bears started their comeback with a run in the third on a throwing error by the opposing shortstop. This was Cal’s first run scored after 15 consecutive scoreless innings, dating back to the first inning of its game against SDSU on Friday.
With three balls and two strikes the count, two outs, bases loaded and the runners on the move, Kennedy Thomas took ball four, which constituted a third consecutive walk and brought home the tying run in the top of the sixth. Cal had a chance to score in the top of the seventh but failed to execute, leading to a walk-off in extra innings by the Toreros in the bottom of the eighth on a wild pitch.
Cal’s costly five errors in three games and lack of offense initiated a three-game losing streak as the team headed into the last day at the San Diego Classic. The Bears continued to exhibit similar qualities against UC San Diego, committing three errors and being held scoreless in the first four innings.
However, Cal’s Tatum Anzaldo took matters into her own hands in the fifth inning and hit the go-ahead three-run homer, doing the griddy into the dugout to celebrate with her teammates. Annabel Teperson solidified the victory for Cal with her complete game outing inside the pitching circle, earning her first win of the season.
Cal finished the weekend with two wins and three losses, bringing its season record to 15-6. The blue and gold have said “aloha” to the San Diego Classic and “aloha” as they travel southwest to compete in the Rainbow Wahine Classic in Hawaii.